[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by Maximo

I'll have to see the film.

Regarding the humans vs other animals, I do not believe in hierarchies that assign what I consider arbitrary importance of one over the other. For me, it is like ranking human love; I do not believe in ranking a spouse's love for his wife against a father's love for his child. I don't have any need to think of Sophie's Choice-like hypothetical scenarios of choosing to rescue a human vs. a dog, or a spouse vs. a child.

I eat meat and I use items produced with animal products.

That said, I am concerned about laws establishing the rights of all animals as individuals. Anytime lawyers are involved, things can quickly become a mess. My father's legal career focused primarily on agriculture and I learned how absurd cases can get, and how laws can be exploited for other purposes (like land control).

I would rather see a cultural shift and tougher regulations on production, rather than establishing legal individual rights. When I see how veal is produced by big suppliers, it makes me sick.

There will never be full agreement by everyone over how animals who are raised for food production are treated. I respect that because I can't even agree with myself all the time. I'll never give up eating animal products, but I am the first to admit that I could not slaughter my own food. I could fish, but that is all.

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

I'm right in line with you...I have never, ever ranked certain species as more important than others...ie, humans above animals, animals above humans or whatnot. To me, doing so would be too god-like, and I can't go there.

This all reminds me of this quote I love from circa 1780s by William Wilberforce, the man who inspired the formation of the original SPCA and was the leader in the movement to abolish the slave trade: "If to be feelingly alive to the sufferings of my fellow-creatures is to be a fanatic, I am one of the most incurable fanatics ever permitted to be at large."

So, as along as animals are treated poorly, cruelly, as unfeeling lowly creatures, and as disposable...I'll happily be called a fanatic .

I bought the movie on Amazon, so if you want to borrow it after I watch it, Kristin, I can just mail it to you.

Totally agree. I don't know how anyone can look into the eyes of an animal and feel superior to them.

To be honest, I am leery of seeing the movie for only one reason: I fear it will depress me more than I already am because of what I see on a daily basis...the things "superior" humans do to animals. Sickening.